Peter Wabel jailed at Winchester Crown Court for nearly 10 years for historical sex offences against Marchwood girl

A PAEDOPHILE found guilty of a number of "horrendous" child sex offences in Marchwood in the early 1990s has been jailed for more than nine years.

Peter John Wabel (64), of Studfield Hill, Sheffield, was sent down at Winchester Crown Court – having been found guilty of four counts of indecent assault of a girl under 14 and one count of buggery at an earlier trial.

The hearing was told the offences took place against a teenager between 1991 and 1992.

Wabel was jailed for nine years and four months and will be required to sign the sex offenders’ register for an indefinite time.

DC Marie Leather, from Hampshire Constabulary’s Amberstone Unit, said: "This has been a horrendous series of events which has hung over the victim for many, many years, so today’s sentencing is a milestone.

"While what occurred during the years of abuse is unlikely to ever heal, we hope that the fact Peter Wabel has now been imprisoned for a significant amount of time will provide some comfort and closure to her.

"The hope is that she can now begin to put this ordeal behind her and move forward with rebuilding her life, knowing that justice has been served."

She added: "We are committed to getting justice for victims of sexual abuse and we would always encourage anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse to report it directly to police on 101, where you can speak with our specialist officers in confidence.

"We know the impact of these crimes can last a lifetime and the pain does not lessen over time. You can talk to us. It’s never too late to make a report."

Survivors of sexual abuse are entitled to support whether they make a report of crime or not. More information is available by visiting https://www.hampshire.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/rsa/rape-and-sexual-assault/support-for-victims-of-rape-and-sexual-assault/